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Updated - February 21, 2026 at 01:30 PM.

| WASHINGTON

The Space Launch System (SLS), with the Orion crew capsule, stands at launch complex 39B during the Wet Dress Rehearsal, a full-scale countdown and propellant load, for the Artemis II mission to the Moon at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., February 2, 2026. | Photo Credit: STEVE NESIUS

NASA officials on ‌Friday said the agency was targeting March ​6 for the launch ⁠of four astronauts around the moon and back as part of its Artemis II mission ‌after overcoming rocket-fueling snags in a second key launch rehearsal this ‌week, but cautioned that remaining ‌prep work ⁠could warrant more time.

The US ⁠space agency on Thursday night capped a nearly 50-hour rehearsal of the Artemis II launch ​countdown, fueling the rocket ‌with some 730,000 gallons of propellant without running into the pesky hydrogen leaks that hobbled an initial rehearsal last ‌month, officials said during a ​news conference.

Artemis program managers were elated that the Wet Dress Rehearsal, ⁠a comprehensive simulation of the Space Launch System’s launch-day countdown, went smoothly, ‌but said remaining work ahead could still push the launch date further into NASA’s March launch window.

“I felt like last night was a big step in us earning our right to ‌fly. So, felt really good, very proud ​of the team,” said NASA launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.

Remaining work includes ⁠testing the rocket’s flight termination system and ⁠conducting a sweeping Flight Readiness Review, a day-long meeting of agency ‌management during which they effectively double-check all rocket hardware and mission procedures before ​liftoff.

Published on February 21, 2026

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